


You Were Never Alone

by xbenihime



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, F/M, i don't know where this came from..., just a little angsty stuff, slight identity reveal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-11
Updated: 2016-03-11
Packaged: 2018-05-26 03:46:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6222397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xbenihime/pseuds/xbenihime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chat Noir drops by Marinette's room to get her to talk to him about why she's been so distant lately. She doesn't notice he's there until it's too late...</p><p>He's seen the scars.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Were Never Alone

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Alright, do I’m doing another scars fic. This one does NOT take place in the same universe as the one about Adrien’s battle scars.

Contrary to popular belief—in what everyone said about him being oblivious—Adrien _was_ very aware of Marinette.

Over the years, the four of them had all become fast friends, and he still even considered her one of his first—despite the fact she always stuttered around him. He still didn’t know whether that was because she was embarrassed by the whole gum incident, or if she just didn’t like him. Either way, he enjoyed being around her and though he may not notice every single detail…

He did notice when she started to act differently.

It was normal for her to freak out if she were to accidentally touch him, or be in close proximity, so he never paid much attention when she would jerk away from. The drastic change between how she was when he was Adrien and how she was when he was Chat Noir was unsettling at first, but the two began to mix as she spent more time with his civilian counterpart. He attributed it to her just being shy and thought nothing of it when it had started to come back recently…

Until she started to do the same with Alya.

When her best friend would throw an arm around her, Marinette would flinch slightly and severe anxiety would flash in her eyes before being buried. At first, he’d just assumed she’d pulled a muscle or something. But as the weeks went on…

It wasn’t just Alya.

When she would bump into someone in the hallway, the same thing would happen. When teachers would rest a hand on her shoulder to get her attention. Hell, the few times she’d seen her around her parents as Chat—he hid in the closet as they wished her goodnight—the same thing would happen.

The look of fear that would cross Marinette’s face when anyone would get close to her, or touch her, was terrifying for Adrien. Whether she knew it or not, she was his Princess, and seeing her that way made his heart ache in a way he hadn’t felt before.

She wasn’t acting like herself.

The slightest sounds would cause her to turn her head and tense before returning her gaze forward—and even then her muscles wouldn’t relax. She was on edge, her eyes would dart everywhere, and more often than not she was avoiding everyone.

Today was no exception.

Chloe and Sabrina were extra chatty, shooting glances over in the direction of the raven-haired teen. With each comment Adrien could barely make out, Marinette seemed to shrink more into herself, biting back tears.

With Mme Bustier now sitting at her desk and the class free to roam around, Adrien was hyper aware as Chloe came over to Marinette. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her whisper something in the designer’s ear that made her stiffen. Alya was packing up her books, so she didn’t notice as the mayor’s daughter flicked Marinette’s shoulder with her manicured nails.

Once the bell rang Marinette had darted out the doors, leaving Alya in her wake. Determined to figure out what was going on with her, Adrien shot Alya a sympathetic glance before darting out after her.

This wasn’t uncommon for Chloe.

She would often pick on her classmates, but going after Marinette the way she had been recently was something so subtle you’d have to be looking in order to notice it. It definitely wasn't as much physical as it was psychological, and with Marinette retreating more than usual…

Adrien was getting worried.

“Marinette!”

With his time as Chat Noir, he’d become lithe, and therefore very fast. His hand was resting on her shoulder in no time, attempting to get her to talk to him.

She flinched and spun around, hands in a fighting stance.

Adrien raised his hands in front of his face in a surrender position, and Marinette swallowed.

“S-sorry, Adrien.” She whispered, swallowing. “What’s up?”

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid. You_ know _you can’t grab at her like that. Don’t be a fucking idiot, Adrien._

The blond managed a small smile, “Alya, Nino and I were just heading to the coffee shop, and were wondering if—”

She interrupted him, “I can’t. My parents need help at home. Big order.”

Her eyebrow twitched.

She was lying.

Adrien forced a grin anyway, “Alright, no problem. Don’t work yourself too hard!”

Marinette nodded before turning away and rushing home, circling her arms around her torso. He watched as she curled into herself and dodged all the bodies passing her.

She was hiding something, and if Adrien couldn’t find out what it was…

Chat sure as hell would.

…

When Marinette had first become Ladybug, she’d known there would be a price to pay. There was no way she could turn everything back to normal, and there not be some sort of consequence.

To save as many people as she had and prevent as much damage as she did, it took a toll on her that for the most part couldn’t be seen at first.

Then again, she hadn’t really paid much attention until recently.

Chloe had caught her in the change room after gym class one day. Marinette was usually good about avoiding having to change in front of people—her luck always seemed to be on her side for the important stuff—but once in awhile there was bound to be a fluke.

And a picture Chloe had on her phone was currently restricting Marinette.

If she didn’t back off when it came to Adrien, Chloe would show her father the picture and claim her parents had been abusing her. The designer had been absolutely furious and had brushed it off at first, but when she couldn’t come up with another reason for the scars and wounds on her back, Chloe had stood by what she said.

To keep everyone safe, it was best for her to just stay away from Adrien. She could reveal herself, but that would put her loved ones in danger. She could tell the police that Chloe was blackmailing her, but they wouldn’t do anything since her father was the mayor. She could let Chloe make the claim since the charges wouldn’t stick, but the speculation either way would be bad for her parents.

The only person she had right now…was Chat.

And even he hadn’t been around a lot lately when she was Marinette.

As a teenager, she’d had issues with her body of course—every girl had—but since this whole incident she’d never hated it more.

“Marinette…”

Tikki’s soft voice echoed from the corner of her room as the small kwami sat on her shoulder. Marinette stood before her full length mirror in a bra and leggings, twisting and turning every which way to get a look at the damage she’d taken as one of Paris’ superhero duo.

She bit her lip to keep herself from crying.

“Dammit,” she choked, as tears filled her eyes. She blinked to try and clear her vision to no avail as she fell to her knees and dug her nails into her sides, raking them over the scars as if she could remove the angry blemishes from her skin.

“Marinette!”

The red kwami tugged at the raven-haired girl’s hands, trying desperately to get her to stop. She’d nearly succeeded when a flash of black caught her eye and Tikki flew into her face.

“Please stop,” she cried, sniffling. “Please.”

Marinette pulled a hand from one of her sides and sunk her teeth into the flesh just below her thumb to muffle her cries. She knew it was trivial to care about what she looked like when it came to saving people from Paris and trying to keep her miraculous safe. She knew it and most of the time she didn't mind.

But when it was drifting into her civilian life and taking away the people she cared about the most and wanted to protect…

She didn’t know what she was doing anymore.

As her cries died down, her mind registered that Tikki had disappeared. Before she could wonder why, she felt cool leather against her back, and a hand on her upper chest pulling her up.

Marinette’s heart leapt in her chest.

He saw them.

She ripped herself away from him then, looking around frantically for something to cover up with. She couldn’t risk reopening the wounds from last night by haphazardly pulling her shirt back on. She needed a blanket—

Chat threw one over her shoulders.

She kept her gaze down as she bit her lower lip. Her heart rate began to slow and her breathing began to even out, but she couldn’t look at him. She feared a look of disgust. Knowing Chat, he really wouldn’t care and he’d be more worried than anything. But with Chloe’s reaction, she couldn’t get the thought out of her head of him possibly being repulsed by her.

“Princess?”

She shook her head and kept it down, eyes squeezed shut. She felt the air around her shift as he moved in front of her, gloved fingers tilting her head up. She didn’t fight him, but her eyes remained closed.

“Marinette, look at me. Please,” he whispered.

She swallowed and opened her eyes.

She only saw pain in his beautiful green eyes as they looked all over her face. His hands were tender as his fingers trailed along her jaw and thumb rubbed at her cheek. She melted into his hand, relishing in the feel of it after having avoided physical contact for months.

Tears pricked her eyes again.

Looking at him, at the concern and sheer care in his eyes, she just reacted.

She kissed him.

Gripping at his shoulders, she desperately pulled him close, searching for contact that couldn’t be taken away from her by circumstances out of her control. She knew Chat didn’t feel this way about her and that she was being selfish, but she only hoped that—

He was kissing her back.

His teeth pulled at her bottom lip, licking it slightly and sucking before letting it go. Her nails dug deep into his shoulders—they definitely would’ve left a mark if he wasn’t in his suit. He tore his lips from hers, planting kisses up her jaw before his teeth sunk into her neck.

A breathy moan escaped her lips.

With that one sound, his hands gripped at her sides just above her hip and he pushed her onto her back and ground against her. The movement ignited a fire deep in her core as he did so and she found herself involuntarily meeting his movement as he pulled her closer.

His passion when it came to her superhero half was something she wished she could have directed at her, and at this moment, it was. They were both each other’s second choice—though Chat had no idea she was Ladybug—but she could feel his pain and desire, and no doubt he could feel hers.

This was wrong. She knew. But she was weak and couldn’t help herself.

And then, just as suddenly as he was wrapped around her, encasing her in warmth, he was gone.

Head swimming, she sat up to see where he was.

Backed up a few feet away from her, Chat’s eyes were closed with a fist to his forehead as he mumbled to himself.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he muttered, “I shouldn’t have done that.”

Marinette’s stomach sank.

“No. _I'm_ sorry,” she whispered, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “I know you don’t feel that way about me—”

He cut her off, “I never said that.”

She blinked.

He opened his eyes, a sea of green tickling the very depths of her chest as he spoke, “It’s just not the right time for something like this. Not when you’re…”

Marinette nodded.

“Besides, it’s _you_ who doesn’t feel that way about _me.”_ He forced a smile and Marinette’s heart ached.

“That’s not entirely true,” she whispered.

If she was being honest with herself, as much as she loved Adrien, her partner had managed to worm his way into her heart in a way she didn’t quite understand. It was easier for her to just focus on Adrien and ignore the black cat, but the more she had to stay away from her blond crush the more her feelings for Chat had grown.

At first she just thought she was diverting from Adrien onto Chat. But that would be a lie to say.

She was in love with them both.

He came closer once again, sitting cross-legged in front of her. “Talk to me, Marinette.”

The designer shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Yes you can,” he protested, tilting her chin up. “What’s going on with you?”

She shook her head, “Chat, I—”

She cut herself off and let her head hang. She couldn’t tell him. He loved Ladybug. She couldn’t destroy the woman he loved just because she was weak.

“I’m okay,” she said, forcing a smile. “You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Bullshit.”

One more touch of his fingers was all it took for her to crumple into a heap on the floor.

She cried louder than she had before now that she had nothing to muffle the sound. She drew in shuddering breaths as the pain in her chest grew, only subsiding the louder she let out her cries.

She found her forehead pressed into a warm neck as Chat picked her up, carried her over to her chaise, and cradled her against his chest. He whispered words into her ear that didn’t register, but that didn't stop the vibration of his voice from soothing her.

“They’re hideous, aren’t they?” she whispered numbly, once she'd calmed down.

Chat’s ears perked up at her breaking the silence, and she watched as his expression hardened.

“No. They aren’t,” he told her, setting her down and standing up.

Marinette shook her head. “Of course they are, who would—”

She cut herself off as she watched Chat peel off his gloves and toss them on the chair next to her.

“Chat, what’re you—”

His now bare fingers came up to encircle the bell around his neck and pull it down.

He was unzipping his suit.

Inch by inch, Chat revealed skin pulled over ridges of muscle as he pulled the zipper dangerously low between his hips.

Marinette flushed deeply, “Cha—”

His gaze was hard as his eyes locked with hers, effectively silencing her.

“Tell me if you find this hideous,” he said softly.

His hands came up to his collar, pulling the leather open to expose his bare chest as he turned around and shrugged his suit off the shoulder. Within seconds, his arms were free of the sleeves and he stood half naked in her room, back bared to her.

Marinette’s eyes widened as she stood and walked over to him.

He was just as scarred as she was, if not more.

Her fingers traced the lines of his back that were from both muscle, and scar tissue. Some were thick and pink—fresh—while others were faded and she could tell were from years ago when they’d first started together.

They were large, and they made her heart ache because she recognized each one. Every single one was from a time he threw himself in front of something or someone to save her.

But they weren’t ugly.

In fact, as much as she wanted to cry because of how much pain he must have been in for most of these—a lot of them looked really deep—and because she knew what he’d been through…

She couldn’t help but see him as strong.

He turned to her then.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes before letting her forehead fall against his bare chest.

He was so _warm._

His arms wrapped around her shoulders securely as her hands came up to grip at his shoulder blades. She didn’t care about the ridges of the scar tissue she felt, or about what he was feeling on _her_ back.

He was _alive_. He was _strong_. 

He was here for her.

“You were never alone, m’Lady,” he whispered in her ear. “You are just as beautiful now as when I first met you.”

She should’ve pulled away then. She should’ve demanded to know how he’d found out who she was and scold him for snooping. She should’ve whacked him over the head and kicked him out of her room.

But he was holding her, and she wanted him to. She wasn’t alone, and neither was he.

She could bear the scars. She could _bare_ the scars because—like his—each one told a story about how she saved someone’s life.

The most important one being the man in front of her right now.

She clung to him tighter, nails digging into his now exposed flesh as she pulled him closer.

They could talk later, but for now…

Knowing he was _here_ and she wasn't alone was enough.

**Author's Note:**

> You guys can find me on:
> 
> Tumblr - http://x-benihime.tumblr.com  
> FanFiction - https://www.fanfiction.net/u/7610579/


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